The all-round figurine is small in size, approximately 6 cm. tall, made of finely purified and compact baked clay, yellow in colour, hand-modelled and smoothed. Without a head, it has a wide and broad neck, a sub-triangular trunk, steatopygia with accentuated buttocks, plastic and slightly asymmetrical breasts. The arms are detached from the trunk and merge with the lower limbs, which are barely modeled and affected by small fractures and gaps. On the body there are some decorations painted in dark red, probable elements of the dress and ornaments; in particular a double line painted in brown seems to highlight a belt at the waist with some segments hanging on the back, two triangles also painted in brown hang from the neck, one on the chest and the other on the shoulders, finally some small dark lines on the forearms perhaps represent bracelets or tattoos. The context of the discovery has led us to believe that the figurine performed a ritual function in a domestic context inserted in a small settlement or in a temporary housing structure, linked to the movements of family groups of the facies for seasonal cultivation and breeding practices. The figurine is in a sitting position with steatopygian features, found in the ancient-Middle Neolithic cultures of the Aegean-Eastern areas (including the figurine from Catalhoyuk from the XNUMXth millennium BC or the figurine from Hacilar which has a V-shaped motif painted on the chest), Danubian-Balkans and the regions of south-eastern Italy. In particular, among the Italian figurines comparisons can be made with those coming from Foggiano, in the locality Dead female in the Municipality of Biccari and in localities Chiantinelle in Serracapriola both for the characteristic steatopygia in a sitting position. Comparisons can still be made with the figurine of San Callisto to Popoli for the sitting position with legs divided by an incision and pubic triangle. As regards the decorative apparatus, the V motif recalls the example of Raven Pass or the lithic idol of Arnesano.

Historical notes

There is little information about the discovery: the figurine was found out of context in 1985, as part of the excavations conducted by Salvatore Bianco following the earthquake of 23 November 1980 which practically devastated the area. The area in question was already known since the end of the 60s for the seizure of material coming from clandestine excavations; subsequently, since the 80s it was indicated as a post-earthquake reconstruction area and the installation of the first containers immediately highlighted the presence of burials. The excavations then continued from the 90s until 2004, leading to the recovery of more than 1000 burials, the Enotri necropolis, dated between the second half of the 4th and the mid-5th century BC. The burials were concentrated in an area indicated as "canal", exactly on the walls of this ditch, while the lower part of the canal had a width of about XNUMX-XNUMX meters and in it some painted ceramic fragments of the "red bands" facies (advanced XNUMXth millennium BC) were found as well to the figurine being studied; Subcircular hearths with ceramic fragments belonging to the Serra d'Alto facies (first half of the XNUMXth millennium BC) have also been identified nearby.